The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday demanded a high-level inquiry into Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav's allegations of opium smuggling and using charas against Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma. "Shivpal Yadav is a senior (state) cabinet minister and if he has levelled allegations against the union minister, he must have done it responsibly. A high-level inquiry should be conducted into the matter," said state BJP chief spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak.
Evoking late strongman Mao Zedong's long forgotten thoughts, China's ruling Communist Party of China chief Xi Jinping has promised 'great renewal' of the nation to pursue the dream of becoming a major global power.
'Throughout the nearly 20-year US-led war, State sponsorship from Pakistan has been a constant.'
During Vajpayee's tenure, he was there as an indispensable insider, witness to every action that had an impact on history: Pokhran-II (nuclear tests in 1998), the 1999 Kargil conflict between India and Pakistan, the Indo-Pak Agra Summit in 2001, intense engagement with the United States on nuclear issues besides the Kandahar hijack.
Indian retail chains have not put small stores out of business.
Indian writer an Jeet Thayil's first novel Narcopolis, described as a compelling tale of Mumbai's hazy world of opium addiction, has made it to the six-author shortlist for the Man Booker Prize 2012 announced on Tuesday.
Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire after the First Opium War (1839-42).
Indian author Jeet Thayil's debut novel on the dark underside of Mumbai's opium dens is in race for this year's prestigious Man Booker prize, which British authors Will Self and Hilary Mantel are said to be the favourites to win.
The Booker long-list nomination came as a surprise to Kerala-born poet-novelist Jeet Thayil who says his selected novel Narcopolis, which talks of opium dens and heroin addiction in Mumbai, is a secret history of the city.
China resumed sovereignty of Hong Kong from Britain in 1997.
India has become a hub of drugs and is an attractive trans-shipment area for heroin bound for Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia and North America despite constant efforts by governments at all levels to combat this sort of crime, a United States report has said.
Rediff.com's Krishnakumar Padmanabhan travels to Ratlam to find out why the Madhya Pradesh town features in the mail the Indian Mujahideen sent out after Sunday's attack in New Delhi.
Is Azaadi the proverbial opium that has been sold to successive generations by the previous ones, or, is it something more fundamental?
The government may have to resort, eventually and however unwillingly, to printing money, abandoned as policy and practice in the 1990, predicts T N Ninan.
According to a New York Times report, the Marine Expeditionary Brigade is leading the operation, which has been described as the first major push in southern Afghanistan by the newly bolstered American force.
BJP's former mascot Jaswant Singh, for long, could do no wrong and was fiercely defended even when he was caught on camera dozing in Parliament or indulging in feudal and obscurantist customs like offering opium in his cupped palm to his loyalists. But an infantile desire to play Herodotus has done him in.
The US has listed India among the world's major illicit drug producing and transit countries alongside Afghanistan and Pakistan, while praising its government for strong counter-narcotic measures and efforts to curb the illegal production.
The bullets used by British forces to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan have been dubbed too small, because soldiers claim that it requires at least five direct hits to bring down the militants who are high on opium.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has pressed the Pakistan cricket Board to outline its position on the Mohammad Asif drugs case.
Panna Lal Punia is a man who knows too much. What he doesn't know about Mayawati and her secrets is not worth knowing. Now, that very man is determined to take up cudgels against her. Getting wind of Punia's chances of being inducted into the Union ministry, a desperate Mayawati 'threatened' to withdraw support to Manmohan Singh's government!
Set mostly aboard the Ibis, 'a vessel into which (the author) poured his ideas', the book has a vast multicultural cast of characters and speaks several tongues -- the unique patois of the lascars -- a unique breed of multiethnic seafarers -- and ancient curses straight out of Hobson-Dobson.
Unless the Taliban goofs up in a big way, which seems highly unlikely, we are looking at a regime that will be around for quite a long while and present a level of governance that the puppets of the richest and most advanced countries failed to provide, predicts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'Leaders of the Indian community in Hong Kong had broached the idea of developing the Andaman and Nicobar islands for investment and setting up manufacturing units,' points out Rup Narayan Das.
'The bottom line is that disproportionate losses should be avoided at all cost and terrorists should be denied tactical successes that act as opium for them to become bold to achieve perceived victory.' 'This is a long war and instead of rushing to achieve quick success, the objective should be not to give any success to the terrorists in terms of casualties and freedom of movement.' 'Every soldier martyred by terrorists in combat is a moral victory for them,' says Brigadier Narender Kumar (retd).
The fitness of Ben Stokes remains an issue. The all-rounder did not bowl in the first Test due to a back problem and could play again as a specialist batsman ahead of Vince.
Mukherjee said while India has been included in the Majors List, there was no year in which it was listed as a country that failed demonstrably to adhere to international counter-narcotics agreements or take counter-narcotic measures.
The new converts come from far-flung areas of Maharashtra like Nashik and Solapur. They have been ostracised and have faced the brunt of the caste-equations.
Muktyar Ahmed is has spent 15 years despite completing his sentence.
A French restaurant popular with foreigners in Kabul was the target of a New Year's Day bombing on Friday, officials said.
'The missile mounted near Kailash-Mansarovar is called DF-21. It is a medium-range, 2,200 kilometres ballistic missile. Its advantage is that it can cover all cities of north India, including New Delhi'
The manner in which a large proportion of common people have mortgaged their rationality and questioning spirit to let hatred, prejudice, and bigotry take over their minds is a cause of worry, observes Mohammad Sajjad.
The literary giant will be honoured at his birthplace in Motihari, Bihar.
Narottam Singh Dhillon alleged links came to light during interrogation of two drug smugglers, who were arrested four days back, Superintendent of Police, Muktsar, Surinder Pal Singh said.
'Embedded with the divisive regime, they administer heavy doses of the opium of religion and nationalism day in and day out,' observes Mohammad Sajjad.
The seizure of liquor has been a matter of concern for the EC since it apprehends that the liquor might be used to influence the voters.
'Google and Facebook need to be tamed, their garb of 'Investing in India's future' need to be pulled off,' observes Vibhu Arya.
'Is this man crazy?' the postmaster asked. 'Yes, who? Ali, na? Yes, saheb. Five years have passed and, no matter the weather, he comes to collect a letter. It's very rare for him to receive a letter,' the clerk replied.
'Pakistan's trump card is that it is the only credible guarantor on the horizon who can reasonably assure the Western world that Afghanistan will not again become the revolving door for international terrorism.' 'Trust Pakistan to play this card optimally,' explains Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
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